Tag: Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico moves to cancel contract with Whitefish Energy to repair electric grid

The following article by Stephen Mufson, Arelis R. Hernández and Aaron C. Davis was posted on the Washington Post website October 29, 2017:

Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló has called for the immediate cancellation of a $300 million contract with Montana-based Whitefish Energy Holdings, a tiny company based in the hometown of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. (Reuters)

Puerto Rico’s electric company moved Sunday to cancel a $300 million contract with a small Montana firm for repairs to the territory’s hurricane-ravaged electrical grid, saying controversy surrounding the agreement was distracting from the effort to restore power.

The contract with Whitefish Energy — a firm that had just two employees the day the storm hit — had drawn blistering criticism from members of Congress for days. And on Friday the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has a large role in determining government reimbursements, said it had “significant concerns” about how the contract was secured. Continue reading “Puerto Rico moves to cancel contract with Whitefish Energy to repair electric grid”

Small Montana firm lands Puerto Rico’s biggest contract to get the power back on

The following article by Steven Mufson, Jack Gillum, Aaron C. Davis and Arelis R. Hernández was posted on the Washington Post website October 23, 2017:

Hurricane Maria knocked out the electricity in Miram Carrasquillo’s home in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico. Ten days after the storm, she was able to get a small generator to power her nebulizer. Authorities say it could be months before the electrical grid is up and running again. (Zoeann Murphy, Victoria Walker, Melissa Macaya, Adriana Usero/The Washington Post)

For the sprawling effort to restore Puerto Rico’s crippled electrical grid, the territory’s state-owned utility has turned to a two-year-old company from Montana that had just two full-time employees on the day Hurricane Maria made landfall.

The company, Whitefish Energy, said last week that it had signed a $300 million contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to repair and reconstruct large portions of the island’s electrical infrastructure. The contract is the biggest yet issued in the troubled relief effort. Continue reading “Small Montana firm lands Puerto Rico’s biggest contract to get the power back on”

Trump’s Puerto Rico video tells positive story but leaves a lot on cutting-room floor

The following article by Jenna Johnson was posted on the Washington Post website October 10, 2017:

White House correspondent Jenna Johnson dissects the holes in President Trump’s Puerto Rico relief video. (Joyce Koh/The Washington Post)

A few minutes into a video about Puerto Rico relief efforts that President Trump tweeted out this week is a short clip about U.S. Forest Service workers clearing fallen trees off a road in the rural interior.

Over the sound of chain saws, the Forest Service’s fire chief explains how this will allow for the easier distribution of food, medical supplies and other aid. But his full comments are cut off by a shift to footage of a ship used as a hospital. Continue reading “Trump’s Puerto Rico video tells positive story but leaves a lot on cutting-room floor”

Trump Lobs Praise, and Paper Towels, to Puerto Rico Storm Victims

The following article by Mark Landler was posted on the New York Times website October 3, 2017:

President Trump visited Puerto Rico, where 16 people are known to have died as a result of Hurricane Maria. By REUTERS on October 3, 2017. Photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times. Watch in Times Video »

WASHINGTON — President Trump ventured on Tuesday to a storm-ravaged American island territory where residents have felt neglected by their government, telling Puerto Rican officials that they should be proud that only 16 people were known to have died in Hurricane Maria.

“Sixteen versus in the thousands,” Mr. Trump said, comparing the storm’s certified death toll to the 1,833 killed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, which he described as a “real catastrophe.” Continue reading “Trump Lobs Praise, and Paper Towels, to Puerto Rico Storm Victims”

Trump hails ‘incredible’ response in ‘lovely’ trip to storm-torn Puerto Rico Play Video 2:24

The following article by Jenna Johnson and Ashley Parker was posted on the Washington Post website October 3, 2017:

During a visit to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico on Oct. 3, President Trump told Puerto Rican officials they should be “very proud” that hundreds didn’t die like in a “real catastrophe like Katrina.” (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

President Trump arrived in Puerto Rico on Tuesday as the territory struggled to recover from Hurricane Maria, which has left nearly all the island without power and most residents without ­water nearly two weeks later.

But Trump’s focus was on the “unbelievable” and “incredible” job that his administration has done so far. He repeatedly played down the destruction to the island, telling local officials they should feel “very proud” they ­haven’t lost hundreds of lives like in “a real catastrophe” like Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast in 2005. But he also complained that the small territory’s disaster threw the nation’s budget “a little out of whack.” Continue reading “Trump hails ‘incredible’ response in ‘lovely’ trip to storm-torn Puerto Rico Play Video 2:24”

Trump’s tweets make matters worse in Puerto Rico and North Korea

The following article by James Hohmann with Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve was posted on the Washington Post website October 2, 2017:

THE BIG IDEA: If Donald Trump doesn’t have anything presidential to say, maybe he shouldn’t say anything at all.

An instinct to counterpunch often leads Trump to try putting out fires with gasoline. That does not always best serve his, or the country’s, interests. This weekend brought two fresh illustrations that the president may say it best when he says nothing at all.

Puerto Ricans were outraged that Trump spent last weekend at war with the National Football League over the national anthem and said nothing about their suffering in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Continue reading “Trump’s tweets make matters worse in Puerto Rico and North Korea”

Trump defies critics of his Puerto Rico response by conducting business as usual

The following article by David Nakamura was posted on the Washington Post website October 1, 2017:

The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter’s insights

President Trump dedicates the Presidents Cup trophy to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida during the awards ceremony at the golf event in Jersey City. (Susan Walsh/AP)

JERSEY CITY — From a glass balcony overlooking the 14th hole of the Presidents Cup golf event, President Trump on Sunday conveyed a clear statement: He would not be intimidated by the outcry over his administration’s response to the devastation on Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

His decision to preside over the Presidents Cup, stopping on the way back to Washington from his own luxury golf club in Bedminster, N.J., is likely to further the outcry from some Puerto Rico officials, congressional Democrats, civic leaders and celebrities that he has compounded a slow federal response to the devastation in Puerto Rico with a personal insensitivity to the suffering.

During Trump’s visit here he sought to convey the confidence of a leader. Wearing a sport coat and a white collared shirt but no tie, the president waved at a crowd in the distance and pumped his fist when a group of VIPs mingling in a courtyard under the balcony noticed him. Then, Trump turned to chat with his hosts — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and his predecessor, Tim Finchem. Continue reading “Trump defies critics of his Puerto Rico response by conducting business as usual”

Lin-Manuel Miranda And Other Celebrities Slam Trump For Twitter Rant About San Juan Mayor

The following article by Yvonne Villareal with the Los Angeles Times was posted on the National Memo website October 1, 2017:

“Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and other celebrities slammed President Donald Trump on Saturday morning following Trump’s Twitter tirade targeting San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who had criticized what she called the federal government’s unhurried response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Miranda, Lady Gaga and John Legend were among the stars that lashed out at Trump’s string of tweets Saturday that took aim at Cruz,, suggesting she was being “nasty” and displayed “poor leadership.”

Miranda responded with his own series of pointed messages expressing his frustration with the commander in chief — telling Trump he was “going straight to hell.” Continue reading “Lin-Manuel Miranda And Other Celebrities Slam Trump For Twitter Rant About San Juan Mayor”

SNL: Alec Baldwin Reveals Our Clown President’s Crisis Management Plan

The following article was posted on the National Memo website October 1, 2017:

In yet another moment of crisis, Alec Baldwin returns to Saturday Night Live as the president whose incompetence and laziness — ordinarily a sort of blessing — has become a terrible curse on the suffering people of Puerto Rico. So learns San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz (Melissa Villaseñor) when she places a desperate call for help to the Oval Office, only to have a whining Trump hang up on her. Continue reading “SNL: Alec Baldwin Reveals Our Clown President’s Crisis Management Plan”

Trump doesn’t get it on Puerto Rico. He just proved it by lashing out at San Juan’s mayor.

The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website September 30, 2017:

San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz made a direct appeal to President Trump for additional aid on Sept. 29. (Municipio Autónomo de San Juan)

President Trump is facing growing — but still measured — criticism of the federal response to the devastation in Puerto Rico. So what does he do? Lash out at the mayor of a hurricane-ravaged city, naturally.

Trump responded Saturday morning to harsh critiques from San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz by targeting her personally. The president accused the mayor of playing politics and succumbing to pressure from fellow Democrats to attack his administration. He also, remarkably, directly attacked her and other Puerto Rican officials’ leadership. Continue reading “Trump doesn’t get it on Puerto Rico. He just proved it by lashing out at San Juan’s mayor.”